Marijuana Business Magazine - March 2018

Everyone feels a little better if there are numerous heads applying gray matter to any problem. PRIOR JOB EXPERIENCE W hen looking for a store manager, a successful applicant’s job history can vary from working in retail and restaurants to pharmacies. It’s important to look for someone with an ability to talk with custom- ers and develop relationships with them. Kevin Powell, director of retail for Temescal Well- ness, a vertically integrated medical marijuana company with dispensaries in New Hampshire, Mas- sachusetts and Maryland, recently hired a pharmacist licensed in Maryland to manage the dispensary there. “That fulfilled many key features that we were looking for in that individual,” he said. “It also gives us instant credibility with patients.” A candidate with a pharmacist background is a rar- ity, though. Powell has had success with managers who come from a background in consultative sales, including fine jewelry and technology. “The real magic is in the ability to engage with people and offer products in a consultative manner,” he said. Tim Smale, co-founder of Remedy Compassion Center in Auburn, Maine, chose his most recent store manager because she had previous management experience. Previously, the woman had worked for Smale for a couple of years in a quasi-management role, and so earned the store manager spot. It also helped that she was a local who knew many of the candidates who were applying for sales or production positions. Smale recommends looking for someone with retail experience who can move the customer through the store efficiently and quickly, but in an empathetic manner. He also suggests considering candidates who have worked in higher-end restaurants where they develop relationships with repeat customers. “We have a great deal of success hiring people who have worked in restaurants,” he said. Andrew Jolley, owner of The+Source Dispensary in Las Vegas, wants previous retail experience, but he’s not too particular. “Cannabis retail experience is great, but it’s uncom- mon,” he said. “We’re really just looking for people who have had experience interacting with the public in some way, shape or form.” Instead, he looks more for personality. “Because this is such a new and ever-changing industry, we’re looking more at the personality and if they fit the company culture,” Jolley added. – Bart Schaneman effects of cannabis – essentially the biological impact of the medicine. “We try to make sure that everyone throughout the company, regard- less of their position, at least has a basic, working knowledge of medical cannabis,” Jolley said. “We feel that’s important underlying information to have in this industry, even though we are both medical and recreational.” The new hire will shadow someone in that particular role of store man- ager for two weeks before going on his or her own. New store managers also spend time with the general manager and assistant general manager to go over policies and procedures to understand how the company runs and what’s expected of them, Jol- ley said. They learn procedures for opening and closing the store, how to request time off and other internal workings. “If they’re a store manager, some- one who’s talking to customers about the product all day long, those people are required to have a higher level of knowledge, and they need to demon- strate that,” Jolley said. ◆ 102 • Marijuana Business Magazine • March 2018